BeforeKlok
by Kagenoyuushi
Summary: Short chapter added to tide people over until I can post something more substantial. I've got an outline in mind for this project and it's a long one - -;; Anyway, pre-Dethklok, Skwisgaar "adopts" Toki, even though he doesn't really want to...
1. Chapter 1

The continuity of this story doesn't match the back story of Skisgaar and Toki's first meeting from "Anything You Want." I've always liked the idea that Skwisgaar and Toki have actually known each other for a long time and that Toki was brought in by Skwisgaar after Magnus left, rather than the band holding auditions for a new guitarist.

The streets were extra cold, Skwisgaar Skwigelf reflected, pulling his coat tightly around himself. Winter seemed to be much harsher in Norway than it was Sweden. This was the first winter that he wasn't home and even though he loved the freedom, the financial strain was felt quite heavily. He'd managed to join a band and secure enough gigs to keep a roof over his head and enough food to stave off starvation, but he had little luxury beyond his guitar. He'd sold everything, when he'd left Serveta's house, which had belonged to him and used the money to get to Lillehammer. He wasn't sure what he'd do here, besides languish away his best guitar playing years in obscurity. He paused briefly to light a cigarette, but the wind seemed to conspire against him as he brought a flame to life, it was quickly extinguished. Finally, he threw the cigarette to the ground and continued on his way.

Ideally, Skwisgaar wanted to go to America. No way he had enough money for that, and he thought he'd never raise it at this rate. He had to get out of his shitty band and find one that had the potential to get bigger. If they began to tour and raised money, maybe he'd eventually wind up somewhere in America. He despised Americans themselves, but the market for music was huge and it might mean he'd be able to do whatever he wanted. The Swede's tastes were minimal and elegant, but he did appreciate the finer things in life, like expensive alcohol, attractive clothing and enough money to live a life of complete leisure. Playing his guitar and fucking any woman he'd capture with his charm and looks sounded like a goddamn wonderful life.

Vegar, Agnostic Priest's lead singer had asked to meet him at some dive bar downtown for a drink. Skwisgaar had initially been resistant to the idea, but it had been a few days since he'd been laid and sitting in his apartment, playing the guitar, could only be entertaining for so long.

_"Skwisgaar!"_ Vegar called, waving the blond over.

"_Bud light,"_ Skwisgaar muttered to the bartender who shot up an eyebrow. The novelty of American beer hadn't worn thin, despite routinely ordering them over the past year. The reactions of the bartenders was always amusing, too. Vegar and Skwisgaar sat in silence for a while, watching the small crowd mill around.

_"I've been thinking a lot lately."_

_ "What about?"_

_ "I think the band is really not going anywhere. Jonas and Hilde just aren't brutal enough now that they're seeing each other."_ Skwisgaar combined a sneer and frown. Hilde had been a great fuck friend for a while.

_"I agree. What are you going to do if we break up?"_

_ "What if we started a new band?"_

_ "I don't know…"_

_ "Come on, we're both very talented. Maybe we can get more serious about finding a producer."_

_ "It sounds like a lot of work."_ Skiwsgaar despised hard work.

_"Fuckface Academy."_

_ "Say again?"_

_ "Fuckface Academy. That's the name. What do you think?"_

_ "Do you think we can find anyone who plays heavy enough? I want a darker sound."_

_ "We can go in that direction, sure."_

_ "Let's find some people before we get rid of those two, okay?"_

_ "Sure."_

The conversation was more discussion of music and lyrics, and by the time they were both ready to call it a night, Skwisgaar found he didn't have the energy for sex. He departed the bar in a rather foul mood with his realization and made his way home. Rather, he would have if not for a young child smacking square into him.

_"Hey!"_

_ "I'm sorry!"_ the kid looked up at him with unsettlingly blue eyes. They were almost grey. Her face was scraped up pretty badly and her left eye was swollen shut.

_"What happened to your face?"_ Skwisgaar asked out of disgust when he realized his shirt was now streaked with blood.

_"I'm sorry- I… I was hit… I'm sorry!" _ The girl winced as if expecting the tall man to backhand her. She pushed past Skwisgaar and took off. Skwisgaar shrugged and reached for another cigarette. His wallet was gone.

_"Get back here, you little fucker!"_ Skwisgaar easily followed the girl, his stride at least twice as long as hers. It was a matter of two minutes before he had her by the collar and was yanking her back towards him. _"Give me back my fucking wallet,"_ he growled, leaning closer. The girl began to cry. But, Skwisgaar was sure, it wasn't about the fact that he'd caught her. Maybe she thought he was going to hit her. _"Give it back and I'll let you go."_

_"I'm sorry. I haven't eaten in four days… I know stealing is wrong… I'm so sorry,"_ this kid sure was polite for being a common street thief. He handed the wallet back.

_"Well, what the fuck are you doing out in the streets anyway? Where are your goddamned parents?"_

_ "I can never go back…"_ the girl looked down and then Skwisgaar grabbed her chin and tilted her face upwards.

_"They did this to you?"_

_ "No… I fell trying to climb in the window of a brick building to get warm."_

_ "You've slept outside the past four nights and didn't die?"_ It was mildly impressive, considering how cold it had been and the fact that this kid was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. The girl nodded.

_"What's your name?"_

_ "Toki Wartooth," _Toki wasn't a girl's name. At least, Skwisgaar didn't think so. Of course, he didn't want to embarrass himself by revealing that he'd thought Toki was a girl.

_"We should take you to an institution. At least there you'll get some food and be warm."_ It vaguely surprised Skwisgaar that he was wasting this much time on some homeless child. It was kind of sad that the boy was out here all alone, but he'd grown up in a terrible situation and turned out okay. He thought back to moments ago when the boy looked as though he'd been expecting to be struck and wondered how bad his home life was to cause him to run away to nothing.

_"No! Please! They'll take me back there, and I can never go back to the punishment hole!"_

Punishment hole? Whatever the hell that was, it couldn't be good. Skwisgaar realized he was still holding Toki's collar, but the boy didn't seem to be struggling to get free. He released him and stood back to full height, flipping his hair over his shoulder.

_"Well, good luck, then."_ Skwisgaar turned and began toward his apartment. When he reached the main door he fumbled for a key, which he dropped. Stooping to pick it up, he realized Toki was standing behind him, shoulders slumped. _"What do you want, Toki?"_

_ "Can I please come home with you. Just tonight. It's very cold. I… I'll do whatever you want to pay for it…" _Toki was very clearly trying to offer himself up as a viable bed partner, in the most awkward way possible, and the thought caused Skwisgaar to simultaneously blush and feel utter revulsion.

_"Christ… is that what you've been doing? You didn't fall. Someone did that to your face. The past four nights… you couldn't find anyone to take you home?"_ Jesus, why was Skwisgaar asking that? Why did he care what had happened to this kid?!

_"I… it hurt too bad… the last time… and…"_ Toki's voice shook and Skwisgaar could see tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. He furrowed his eyebrows and sighed, knowing he'd regret this, and feeling dirty for no good reason.

_"Okay. Come inside."_

Toki slowly approached the Swede and walked past him and up the stairs. His body language suggested that he expected horrors to come soon. Skwisgaar opened his door and walked into the apartment, tossing his key on the end table. The boy stood in the center of his living room for a minute and then slowly took off his shirt, audibly whimpering as he stared at the floor.

_"Jesus! What are you doing? Put your shirt back on!"_

_ "I thought that… what am I—"_

_ "You can stay here tonight, but tomorrow you need to find a more permanent place to stay, you understand?"_

The boy looked surprised and then obviously relieved. When he turned to the side to put his shirt back on, Skwisgaar noticed a latticework of scars, and healing wounds across his back.

_"Hold on,"_ he crossed the room and pulled Toki's shirt up again. The boy went rigid but didn't resist. He touched one of the faded scars and then recoiled when the boy jumped. _"Where did you get these?"_ he demanded. The boy didn't answer and he shook him. _"Tell me where you got these!"_


	2. Chapter 2

I am on a SUPERWRITING kick right now. Too bad it's easier to write fiction about characters who aren't mine than it is to work on my own stuff, haha. At this point, I have a vague idea of where this is going, but no idea how I want to get there. Enjoy!

I realized that I have no idea how grammar works in Norwegian or Swedish, so from here on out, I'll try to avoid contractions because I don't know how often, or even if, they are used. Also, for the sake of logic, Skwisgaar has learned Norwegian easily since he's been in Norway because both languages are very similar. This is why he and Toki are able to speak to one another fairly easily.

PAGEBREAK (it won't let me doublespace down or make a bar or ANYTHING! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYY ?!)

Toki stared down at his feet, refusing to bring his head up to meet Skwisgaar's harsh stare. The Swede frowned at the petulant child. He'd brought him here out of the goodness of his heart and the boy had morphed into a sullen pre-teen in the matter of five minutes.

_"Toki, tell me where you got these or, so help me, I will throw your ass back on the street right now."_ Toki whimpered. Skwisgaar hoped that he'd back down because he honestly didn't know if he had it in him to throw a homeless child out of his apartment when it must have been fifteen below Celsius outside.

_"My father."_

_ "Your father?"_

_ "… Yes."_

_ "How? What made these marks?"_

_ "Sometimes a whip," _ Skwisgaar's lip curled involuntarily. _"Sometimes a switch. Whenever I was bad or did something wrong. He'd correct me."_ The tone of Toki's voice was more disturbing than what he was saying. The boy seemed to treat this like a reasonable part of growing up. Like he had no idea that this kind of treatment was terrible and would easily land his father in prison. The knot in Skwisgaar's gut tightened when he momentarily thought that he was glad Toki had gotten out of there. Even if it did mean that he was now homeless. The brunet kid slumped a little against Skwisgaar's hand, which still gripped his arm and he let go.

_"You should take a shower. You look like you are filthy, and I am not having a filthy street urchin sleep on my couch. I will see if I have anything to eat."_ Skwisgaar went into the kitchen and poked around the cupboards for anything that might constitute a nutritional meal. For the most part, he ate frozen dinners and cereal. Finding little beyond those and a can of soup, he shrugged and popped a frozen dinner in the oven to warm up while he changed out of his clothes and into pajamas. He didn't normally wear anything to bed, but with a kid walking around his apartment, there was no reason to feel like any more of a pedophile than he already did. He came back into the living room to see that Toki hadn't moved and that he looked fairly troubled.

_"What is the matter? I told you to go take a shower."_

_ "If I do, I only have these clothes and they will get your furniture dirty. Can I sleep on the floor, instead?"_ Skwisgaar rolled his eyes and said nothing as he left the room. He returned carrying a pair of flannel pants.

_"This is probably much too big for you, but it is better than nothing, I suppose. Now go shower. Go, go, go," _he gingerly ushered the boy towards the bathroom door and returned to the kitchen. The shower began running and he huffed over his beer, not sure why he was so agitated. The kid would be gone tomorrow, and it didn't seem like he'd be much trouble in the meantime. And, as much as Skwisgaar hated to admit it, he didn't like to be in his apartment alone. Sometimes he picked up women just to have another living thing around. He'd tried to keep small pets, but he often forgot that animals like food and water, so… those few tries didn't end so well. When the food was heated, he pulled out his tray and ate it while standing at the counter, having no table for proper dining. Who would he entertain, anyway? He didn't cook. And he certainly didn't have guests who stayed for long enough to share a meal often enough to justify the expense. He stared at the small dining area off of the kitchen and frowned. The empty corner looked depressing. Maybe he'd put a chair there to sit and practice without the tempting distraction of television.

Toki turned the water on full blast on the highest heat his skin could take. Maybe he could burn the memories of the past few nights away. The night before this had been particularly bad. The man who'd brought him home was rough and held him down against a table while it felt like he was tearing Toki apart from the inside. Toki had screamed in pain and the man literally tossed him out the front door after he was finished, saying something about his wife coming home soon, even though he'd promised to let Toki stay the night if he did that! He sniffled, trying not to think about it as he washed everywhere that he wanted to venture his hands. It was well-ingrained in him that touching himself down there, even to clean, was a horrible sin, and other body parts hurt too much to pass a hand over them. Even the gentle licks of hot water stung, especially the fresh wounds on his back which had not healed and the hot water made the old scars begin to itch. He resisted the urge to rip at his back with his nails and, instead, leaned against the shower wall, exhausted and ashamed.

Toki certainly wasn't shy about using Skwisgaar's hot water. After twenty minutes he had to do something or his downstairs neighbors might complain that they had none and then he'd have to explain that the homeless boy he'd brought home was taking an extraordinarily long shower. None of that would sound creepy. Not at all. He stalked down the hall to the bathroom door and opened it a crack.

_"Toki,"_ he barked, _"hurry up! You are wasting all of my hot water!"_

_ "I- I am sorry!" _the boy called back, softly.

When Toki emerged from the bathroom, towel draped over his head, he walked into the kitchen and Skwisgaar pointed to his dinner. He barely chewed, even though the chicken was in fairly large strips and Skwisgaar worried slightly that he'd choke to death if he didn't slow down.

_"You are like a hungry dog. Calm down, no one is going to take your food away."_ Toki swallowed and paused, looking sheepish. Skwisgaar left the boy and walked into his room. Slinging his guitar strap over his shoulder and playing the scales always calmed him down. He had no idea how long he had been playing when Toki stood in his doorway and began watching him reverently.

_"Wowee! You are very fast on the guitar!"_

Skwisgaar smiled smugly. He knew how good he was, but hearing it was always an ego-boost. Even from a little kid. _"Tell me something I do not know."_

_ "I do not know your name. What is it?"_

_ "Skwisgaar."_ Toki seemed to consider something.

_"I like that name."_

_ "Thank you for your approval,"_ the blond rolled his eyes. It seemed lost on Toki, who smiled brightly.

_"You are welcome."_

_ "How old are you, anyway?" _There was little genuine interest behind the question, but Skwisgaar felt awkward having a silent audience in his own apartment.

_"Thirteen. How old are you?"_ Who was this kid? A member of Interpol?

_"Nineteen."_

_ "We are closer in age than I had thought."_ Skwisgaar struck a sour note and grimaced.

_"How old did you think I was?"_

_ "Twenty-two or twenty-three, maybe."_

Skwisgaar's hand involuntarily moved to his face, feeling for wrinkles. He prided himself in his fastidious beauty routine and the suggestion that he was one day over his actual age magnified his already irate state. Toki seemed to sense he'd said the wrong thing.

_"I-I did not mean to- I am very sorry! Please let me stay, I am very grateful you have brought me into your home, I am sorry- I did not mean-"_

_ "Toki! Get a hold of yourself. It is fine. I said you could stay here tonight and I do not break promises I make. Just… go to sleep, okay?"_ Skwisgaar watched the boy shift uneasily from one foot to the other and then make his way down the hall to the couch. He sighed, massaging his forehead. He always had the worst ideas.

Toki sat on the couch with the living room light still on as he heard the blond man's door close down the hall. This was certainly safer and warmer than sleeping on the streets, but he felt uneasy. Why had this man, someone he'd stolen a wallet from, agree to take him in and then not demand anything in return? Toki was a bit naïve, but he wasn't an idiot. People usually didn't do nice things for other people for no reason. Unless, the man was waiting for him to fall asleep so that… Toki shook his head. He didn't want to think that way about Skwisgaar. For the older man's grouchy exterior, he had moments where he seemed genuinely concerned, especially with Toki's injuries. Maybe he was the meaner version of a guardian angel. Toki smiled faintly, he liked to think that. It was especially easy with the tall man's lithe form and beautiful, delicate features. Even his blond hair suggested a halo.

At some point, Toki fell asleep on the couch. Skwisgaar had no idea when, but when he got up for a glass of water around three a.m., he noticed the living room light on and went to switch it off. Dumb dildo kid didn't even know to turn off a light when he went to sleep? He eyed the boy on the couch, who slept on his stomach, his gashes and scars highly visible in the glow of the bare yellow light bulb. Skwisgaar watched his back rise and fall as he lightly snored, a tense, troubled look still gripping his face, even as he should be untroubled and relaxed. Skwisgaar felt something inside him tug at the corners of his mouth and he suddenly had a stomach ache. The exhaustion of Toki was apparent in the bags under his eyes and Skwisgaar had recognized the flashes of desperation and despair from the boy ever since he'd been in the apartment. Skwisgaar knew some of those feelings too well.

His mother had been a shining example of how not to parent a child. He was neglected in every sense but materially, growing up. Rather than spending time with her son, Serveta would buy him useless trinkets, and ignore him the rest of the time. He didn't miss her in the least, and wondered, if the boy, in some twisted way, missed his family. He seemed the type to think mistreatment equaled caring about someone. He bit the inside of his cheek and retrieved the blanket from off of his bed. Toki stirred, but didn't wake when he draped it over the boy. What if Toki couldn't find somewhere to go? The brunet had already made it clear that he would refuse to be institutionalized, which Skwisgaar could understand. Once in the system, it was hard to get out, even into adulthood. Toki would probably grow up and wind up a criminal with his depraved childhood as a guide for proper behavior. He didn't have relatives, surely, or he'd stay with them. One solution was looming over Skwisgaar, as much as he batted it away, it began to nag and nettle and he knew it would prevent a good night's sleep.

Until he could figure something out, Toki would have to stay here.


	3. Chapter 3

Toki was still asleep when Skwisgaar stirred the next morning, around ten. He decided to let the boy sleep as long as he needed to. He was clearly physically exhausted by the ordeals he'd dealt with the past few days, and Skwisgaar was sure that being awake only served to lend time for thoughts back to those experiences. Though, perhaps the memories haunted Toki's sleep, as the boy's face was still the same troubled expression he'd seen last night when he draped his blanket over the sleeping boy. Toki had since curled in on himself and yanked the blanket tightly against his skin, burying his face in the fabric, obstructing his expression nearly completely.

If the kid was going to be staying here, he probably needed a few things, including his own blanket. Skwisgaar had had a hell of a time falling asleep last night without anything covering his bare chest and back. He rumpled his already disheveled hair and went through the cabinets in the kitchen, deciding he probably needed to keep more food around, too. He easily and routinely skipped meals, but a thirteen-year-old probably should eat regularly. He frowned, wondering how he would make ends meet if he had to care for another person. Still, minor discomforts of having to go without a beer at the pub, or tickets to a show were small in comparison to the guilt he might feel at kicking Toki out. Besides, he'd coasted by without any job to speak of for months before he found Agnostic Priest.

He showered, ate a dry piece of toast and quietly left the apartment to go shopping.

When he returned, an hour later, he spun the doorknob to find it wasn't locked, like he'd left it, and when he opened the door, Toki was conspicuously absent from the couch. He put down his bags on the counter and saw a note stuck to the refrigerator.

_Dear Skwisgaar,_

_ Thank you for letting me stay here last night. When I woke up you were gone, so I let myself out. I am sorry I did not lock the door, but I do not have a key. I am very happy that I met you and hope we meet again someday._

_ Love,_

_ Toki Wartooth_

That _moron_. He'd taken off, just when Skwisgaar had bought enough food for a week of regular meals, and a blanket! Where was he going to go? How would he eat? His clothing wasn't nearly warm enough to survive continued exposure to the increasingly brutal nights. Skwisgaar threw his coat back on, muttered a long string of explicatives and left his apartment in a rush, though he had no idea where he'd start looking.

_"Skwisgaar!"_ Vegar called from the sidewalk, rushing to catch Skwisgaar, who had a considerably longer stride.

_"Hi,"_ Skwisgaar said, looking around._ "What are you doing here?"_

_ "I have tried to call you several times, but you did not answer, so I was worried."_ That was rich; Vegar only worried if it meant he'd be out money, or someone was about to assault him with a weapon.

_"You saw me last night. What could possibly be so important that you could not wait until rehearsal?"_

_ "I found a drummer."_

_ "For what?"_

_ "For Fuckface Academy."_

_ "Oh. Still on about that, are you?"_

_ "I am serious about making it big, Skwisgaar. I thought you were, too."_

_ "I am. I just have something I need to be doing."_

_ "What do you need to be doing? You look sort of… frazzled."_

Skwisgaar scowled and took a breath. He couldn't exactly tell Vegar that he was going to look for the dumb dildo kid that he'd brought home and was now letting stay with him because he felt sorry for the stray. Vegar would never let him live it down.

_"Nothing, I just… I will see you tonight, and we can go to the bar and talk about Fucking Academy after-"_

_ "Fuckface."_

_ "Right."_

Vegar stared after Skwisgaar as he stormed away, his head jerking in all directions. The older man shrugged and went back on his way.

'_If I were a dumb Norwegian kid, where would I go?'_ Skwisgaar wracked his brain for places that he knew of that Toki might wind up.

A few hours of fruitless searching passed, agitating Skwisgaar so greatly that he completely forgot about rehearsal and opted to continue searching. At some point, after the street lamps had come on, he paused, feeling foolish when he realized he'd been walking around in circles for the past hour, in hopes that luck would play a part in finding Toki. He had no idea where the boy might go, but he didn't like the sensation of cool prickling in his chest that he reluctantly identified as worry. He should be angry that Toki was stupid enough to think he'd be okay outside on a night like this. Only when he had stopped and was considering these things did Skwisgaar realize just how bitterly cold it was. He clenched and unclenched his fingers to encourage blood flow, but that only aggravated the dull ache from disuse and insufficient insulation from his gloves. Damn cheap fake deerskin.

_"Toki!"_ he called, mainly out of frustration. Maybe, he reflected, looking down at his watch, he would have to give up for the night.

Exhausted and disheartened, he slouched back home. He passed the place he and Toki had first met and paused in a pool of yellow light, glancing around and hoping hard that Toki would run smack into him again. He'd shake the idiot and tell him not to do such stupid things in the future. Then Toki would start crying and he'd feel like a jerk, and then get angrier at Toki for making him feel like a jerk. He'd mutter a half-convincing apology and that dildo would smile that stupid, sappy smile and everything would be fine again.

As if decreed by fate, when Skwisgaar approached his apartment building, he saw a small figure huddled in the doorway. His head dipped as he fought sleep that was creeping upon him, but he seemed determined not to lose consciousness. Skwisgaar's heart fluttered in relief, just long enough to bring a certain irritation to the surface. He scowled and stomped to his front door.

_"Skwisgaar!"_ Toki smiled up, as though nothing was wrong in the entire world. The Swede scowled down at him, hard.

_"What were you thinking, you idiot? Running off. Pfft. Where will you go? What will you do for food?"_

_ "I came back because I dropped my crucifix last night and hoped I could have it back. And I thought that you said…"_

_ "Never mind what I said, you dildo! Come inside, eat something and leave me alone!" _He threw the door open and Toki slipped inside in the same way a frightened, scolded dog might. Once they were inside the apartment he looked up at Skwisgaar inquisitively.

_"I do not understand. It was very gracious of you to allow me to stay, but you do not need to keep me any longer. I know I am more trouble than I am worth,"_ he fished around under the couch for his silver cross as he said this. When he stood back up, he added, _"And what is a 'dildo'?"_

Skwisgaar sighed, massaging his forehead. _"A dildo is something you do not need to know about. Just do not call anyone that or they will beat you up. And you ca not stay outside. It is getting too cold."_

_ "I can find places to stay, if I need to."_ The blond's stomach flipped over and any hunger he may have felt from his odyssey today was thrown out the window.

_"You will not have to do that anymore, little Toki. You will stay with me until something else can be done. I do not want you to ever do that again. Do you understand?"_

The boy's expression was strange. He looked… happy, despite Skwisgaar's stern tone. _"I understand."_

_ "So what do you want to eat? I bought soup and some more frozen dinners."_

_ "I will cook! Do not worry, I know how, and I will have dinner ready soon," _Toki rushed into the kitchen, leaving Skwisgaar confused.

In the meantime, Skwisgaar retrieved his guitar from the stand in his room and began to play on the couch. His phone rang at some point, but he knew who it was and ignored it. Toki returned to the living room in a few minutes and sat cross-legged on the floor, watching Skwisgaar.

_"How long have you played that?"_

_ "Years."_

_ "What is it?"_

_ "What is… this?" _Skwisgaar pointed at his guitar and looked at Toki in disbelief.

_"Yes. I have never seen one before."_

Jesus! Where was this kid from, anyway?

_"It is a guitar. Where are you from that you do not know what a guitar is?"_

_ "I am from a small village. The only instruments we had was an organ in our church. I like when you play the guitar. It sounds very nice."_ Toki went back into the kitchen and returned with two bowls of the canned soup Skwisgaar had bought earlier. They ate in silence. After, Skwisgaar continued to play, but grew agitated with his captive audience. The way the boy beamed up at him was, at first, a bolster to his ego, but quickly grew weary of the attention.

_"Toki, you need to stop staring at me. It is bothering me."_

_ "Oh! I am sorry,"_ Toki looked down at his lap, not sure where he was supposed to look or what Skwisgaar wanted from him.

_"Maybe you can go put away the groceries from this afternoon."_

Toki hopped to his feet and raced into the kitchen, a little too eager to have something to do. Skwisgaar returned to strumming his guitar idly, until his phone rang again. He picked it up.

_"Hello?"_

_ "Skwisgaar! Why were you not at practice tonight? We need to talk. Can you meet me at the pub?"_

The blond paused, throwing a glance towards the kitchen, deciding that listening to Vegar's complaining was better than having Toki stare at him all evening.

_"Meet me in ten minutes."_ He hung up. _"Toki!"_

The boy stepped back into the living room. _"Yes, Skwisgaar?"_

_ "I am going out for a while. Can I trust you will not take off again?"_ The boy blushed.

_"I promise, Skwisgaar! I will not go anywhere!"_

_ "Good."_

Skwisgaar threw his jacket on, placed his guitar on its stand and walked out of the apartment.


End file.
